Port Ludlow Woman Killed After Tree Strikes Car

A Port Ludlow motorist was killed Monday evening when a tree fell across her car, crushing the passenger section, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Suzanne J. Charawell, 74, was driving south on Oak Bay Road when the tree fell, crushing much of her 1981 Ford LTD. She was the only person in the car, deputies said.

Before being dispatched, two sheriff's deputies, Scott Boyd and Charles McCarty, happened upon the scene and administered first aid.

Firefighter paramedics arrived and extricated Charawell, but she died at the scene.

Gale force winds in the Straight of Juan de Fuca resulted in winds of 25 to 35 mph in the area, with gusts of up to 45 to 50 mph, the National Weather Service in Seattle said. The tree likely toppled because of the winds, deputies said.